Flamma Wies
by mysteriousguy898
Summary: An OMG-I'm-in-the-game with a twist! When Alice wakes up as Atlas, how will the Game of Destiny play out?
1. Prologue

**Flamma Wies**

A/N: The title of this strange little fic comes from Model F's password in Megaman ZX. It means "Flame's Power" in mixed-up Latin. Kudos and (::)E-cookies(::) if you recognized it before I told you! Please leave a review after reading, because I'm pretty sure this can be improved. Of course, a simple "Good job!" will make my day, too!

Disclaimer (holds true for all chapters): I hardly own my OC(s) in this story. Everything belongs to Inti Creates, Capcom, and anyone else with a hand in making the Megaman ZX series.

Prologue: A Weird Story

Or: What? We Have a Plot?

My name's Alice. My story is pretty unusual, even for the rest of the content you'll probably find on this site (fanfiction dot net; if you found me anywhere else, tell mysteriousguy898, quick!).

I was a fairly normal Mega-fan, having bought Megaman ZX Advent just today. I punished the stages with practiced ease, clearing up to the Oil Field in what I assume was the record time, but probably wasn't. The boss was Atlas, the Flame Mega Man.

As I fought, something weird happened. I was doing well, but every hit I landed on Atlas exacerbated a pounding headache that I'd become aware of when the fight began. It was like I was feeling Atlas' pain, which was ridiculous.

First, Atlas was a video game character. Fictional. Made up. Second, I was playing as Grey, on the other end of the fight.

As I won, my headache was actually causing my eyes to tear up. Onscreen, Atlas delivered her lines and warped out. As Grey screamed unexpectedly from some side effect of copying Atlas' DNA, a splitting pain wracked my body. I screamed and passed out.


	2. A New Perspective

**Chapter 2: A New Perspective**

** Or: All Your Face are Belong to Us**

_A/N: Here's the actual first chapter. I looked, and all the "I'm-in-the-game" fiction I saw just dropped the OC into the game intact. I'm going with a different approach, similar to body-snatching, but without the evil intent._

I woke up to a dull, aching pain all over. "Ouch…" I opened my eyes and looked around the room. "What the (expletive)?"

The room was purple and gray, and looked like some kind of military bunk. I was lying on a slide-out panel with a mattress that probably passed as a bed. There was a footlocker at the foot of the "bed", which didn't seem to be locked.

I got up, grunting in pain. I looked through the footlocker, looting the spoils (probably not the best idea in a strange military bunker), and found a bunch of identical outfits: orange shirts, black bodysuits, white, baggy pants, some leather belts, thick, yellow bracelets, and orange shoes. (On the plus side, the pain was going away.)

The clothes looked like Atlas' outfit from the game. I looked down at myself, and saw that I was wearing the same outfit. "What the (same expletive, only louder)?"

My voice surprised me, being much deeper than my usual voice. It sounded like…no, that was absurd! I couldn't have suddenly turned into Atlas from the game!

I ran over to a sink-mirror combination for proof. There she was—Atlas' face staring back at me. I had the same brown-and-red hair, the same tanned skin, the same battle-hardened features. The only difference was that her eyes (my eyes?) were green, not red like I remembered from the game. Still, my old eyes were blue…

Further exploration of the room revealed almost nothing of interest, save for a window that looked out onto a barren wasteland. I brushed my teeth (Atlas' teeth?) and sat down on the bed.

Suddenly, I was overwhelmed by what had apparently happened to me. Like some kind of time bomb that was activated the moment I woke up, the despair washed over me. I lay down and sobbed. What had happened to the old me? What was my connection with Atlas? Would I ever be able to go back to my old body (and possibly my old world)?

There was a sensation in my mind of someone or...something stirring and waking up, which jarred me out of Pity Party Mode. A cocky-sounding man's voice said, **Huh? How long have I been out?**

"Who said that?" I whipped my head left and right, which produced an unpleasant popping sound, searching in vain for the source of the voice in my mind.

Suddenly, an orange and yellow metal device flashed into being in front of me. **Who, me? I'm Biometal Model F, the Biometal of Flame! Who are you? I remember the lab, going to sleep for a bit, then waking up in your head. Weird, huh?**

"Yeah, weird. I'm Alice…um, I think. Everyone we meet will probably call me Atlas, though."

**Whaddya mean?** The Biometal tilted on a corner, expressing puzzlement.

"I don't know, either! I was playing a video game, then I got a really bad headache, passed out, and woke up here, in this body! Where I come from, all this is in a video game. I had no clue it could be real!"

**Well, duh, I'm real! I'm here talking to you, right? Wait, if I'm talking to you, and you can hear me, that must mean you're a Chosen One!** Model F was just figuring this out? Of all Biometals, why did I have to get the one with the legal-minimum IQ?

"Atlas is, I know that much. I guess that means I am, too, since I'm her now. I'll have to pretend I'm Atlas, which is a problem, because she is definitely not a good girl."

**What now? **Model F didn't seem to want more surprises.

That was a good question, though. I opted to describe what I knew. "Atlas is one of the four Mega Men who're trying to gather Model Ws and take over the world. I'm not saying _I_ want that, but she did."

**Wait, Model Ws? As in…more than one Model W? I thought we beat that thing!**

"Well, there are a bunch more, all over the place. I'm sure Atlas and her Game of Destiny opponents have gathered a lot of them, and I have no clue where they're kept." I wished I could give Model F better news. This didn't even qualify as OK news.

**Well, we're going to have to do something about that. Model W is bad news. Just one of 'em was almost enough to destroy a nation. We're lucky Aile gathered us Biometals and beat it, but if there's more than one…** How could we beat multiple Model Ws, when just one took the power of six Biometals to destroy?

"I don't like our chances. At least three of the other Biometals and their Chosen Ones are apparently under some kind of control. They won't listen to reason, and we can't fight them all at once. We'll need help."

**Great. I hate needing help. So, you know all this from a video game? How far did you get?** Model F looked hopeful.

"Not far enough to learn who's behind it, but I may have an idea of who can beat HIM." Model F visibly dropped a few inches of height, then perked up again.

**Who, then?**

"Mega Man Model A, a Reploid named Grey. We can probably find him at Hunter's Camp, but if I'm right about *when* this is, he's probably headed to Legion right now." There, he would probably learn who HE was; the orchestrator of the Model W crisis, the instigator of the Game of Destiny, and the manipulator of Mega Men would reveal himself there, I was sure.

_A/N: So, next chapter, Alice/Atlas will meet Grey. Chapter's already written. Reviews are cool! Mysteriousguy898, over and out!_


	3. A New Ally

**Chapter 3: A New Ally**

** Or: I'm the Juggernaut!**

_A/N: Another short chapter. I've got one or two other chapters written, but after that, my creative spark fizzled out. I'll probably write the rest, now that I'm posting this._

I decided to look for Atlas' transerver device. She wouldn't have been able to teleport without one. Sure, it wouldn't be able to get me home, but saving the world was slightly more important.

I found it on the sink—a little, iPod-like touchscreen. I touched the icon for Legion HQ, and teleported to Legion HQ 1.

As the transfer light faded at the bottom of a huge elevator shaft, I was greeted by a group of Mavericks—Galleon Bazookas, humanoid robots with homing-rocket launchers. "Great. Guess we'd better see if this works."

Catching my meaning, Model F flew to my hand. I punched him into the ground, yelling, "MEGAMERGE!"

**Biolink established! M.E.G.A. SYSTEM online!**

Model F burst into orange light. Instantly, I was surrounded by towering flames. The fire licked over my body, not harming me, but hardening into the F-Armor. I was now covered in bulky orange armor, apparently designed for defense over ease of movement. A weight on my back turned out to be two powerful Knuckle Busters, connected at the muzzles. As the pillar of fire faded into smoke, the Galleons noticed me.

Using a Heads-Up Display that had appeared in my vision, I locked onto the nearest Galleon. I hefted the dual F-Knuckle Busters in front of me (Mega Man power let me lift them like it was nothing) and opened fire. The Galleon exploded just as the smoke around me cleared. I dashed in before the simple machines could get over their confusion, and punched at a Myterys that flew too close. The linear accelerators in the Knuckle Busters hurled the fragile, bug-like Mechaniloid into and through another Galleon.

At this point, I felt fairly invincible. I knew these were only the simplest enemies I would face, and they weren't originally programmed to attack me, but that just meant I could blast them without taking a scratch. Model F whooped in joy as his power was unleashed; I guess all Biometals got a rush off releasing all of that cooped up power with a Megamerge. I sure did!

I powered through a swath of evil mechs to the door leading out of the station. I'll always wonder why the conveyor-belt floor panels rolled away from that door; it meant that normal people (who couldn't dash against the conveyors) would never be able to get to Legion. Anyway, outside, I found who I was looking for.

Mega Man Model A was surrounded by Mechaniloids, standing not ten meters from the door. He was pointing his gun from one to the next, but seemed hopelessly outnumbered. Of course, this was Mega Man Model A I was thinking about, so he could probably handle himself, but I saw the opportunity to prove I was no enemy.

I blasted all the Galleons off of Grey's left flank, dashed into the circle, and called, "Grey! What are you doing just standing there? Fight!"

He snapped out of his stunned stupor (which probably came from my actions), and yelled, "A-TRANS!" A white light flashed, and suddenly a tall, Native American-themed Pseudoroid stood where Grey once was. In Buckfire's voice, Grey said, "I don't know why you're helping me, but thank you! I've got this! HA!"

Grey/Buckfire put his hands together, launching a trio of Burning Arrows at the mechs, which were torn apart as the arrows continued to fly. Under our combined barrage, the remaining Galleons were destroyed in three seconds flat.

Grey flashed, and appeared in his normal Mega Man form once more. "So, why are you helping me now?"

"Do I need a reason to help people? Let's just say I'm not the evil Atlas you know, and she's probably not coming back. I don't know why I'm here, but I have a hunch some of the answers you're looking for are just ahead."

"Okay, let's go! We've got to defend the Sage Trinity!"

_A/N: Grey is WAAAY too trusting. I would've at least gotten a second opinion from Model A before trusting the girl who dumped me off a bridge and shot at me. Next chapter: Siarnaq and Master Albert!_


	4. A Weird Opponent

**Chapter 4: A Weird Opponent**

** Or: It's All Fun and Games Until the Robot Ninjas Attack**

_A/N: Actual combat this chapter! I'm sorry if it's slow, this is my first attempt at writing for other people._

Over the next few minutes, we scaled skyscrapers, blasted Mavericks, and reached a dim room behind a slightly different door—one I'd come to associate with the area boss by playing the game. "Be careful… I think there's a powerful enemy here."

Suddenly, a transerver activated, and Siarnaq appeared, dressed in his usual tattered red scarf and purple coat. "You!" Grey yelped.

"TARGET VERIFIED. MEGA MAN MODEL A: COMMENCE PLANNED COMBAT PROCEDURE? INPUT RESPONSE…" Siarnaq said in his toneless, robotic voice.

Model A whined, **Aw, man! This one's the weirdest of them all!**

"INVALID INPUT. INPUT RESPONSE…"

"Well, if this is the only way to find out who I really am…" Grey let the sentence hang.

"RESPONSE ACCEPTED. COMMENCE COMBAT! MEGAMERGE!" Siarnaq dissolved into the shadows of the room, then reformed as Mega Man Model P. With his face hidden in the shadow of an angled mask, the purple Mega Man's glowing red eyes looked downright evil. On our side of the room, Grey and I struck fighting poses…

Suddenly, Siarnaq vanished.

"What?" I heard a sound similar to the *whoosh* he made while vanishing, coming from behind me. I whipped around, just in time to leap aside as Siarnaq hurled deadly kunai in my direction.

"TRAITOR ATLAS! ARE YOU ASSISTING MEGA MAN MODEL A? INPUT RESPONSE…" Siarnaq vanished again.

"You just shot first and asked questions later," I pointed out.

Siarnaq remained hidden. "INVALID INPUT. INPUT RESPONSE…" The robot voice didn't reveal Siarnaq's location.

"Yes, I am! If you were smart or in your right mind, you would, too, robot-mouth!" I could have thought of a better insult, but it did the trick.

"INSULT ACKNOWLEDGED. RETARGETING!" Siarnaq reappeared behind me once again, only to be blasted by a charged shot from Grey, causing him to disappear AGAIN.

He reappeared hanging from a high ledge, threw a rain of kunai, and avoided my return fire by flipping up to the floor above. I started a quick internal dialogue. **Model F, is there any easier way to hit him?**

** Yeah! I thought you'd never ask! You can concentrate to pre-set the path of your plasma shots. You can make each bolt take up to four right-angle turns. Show him who's boss!**

Actually, I had a pretty easy time picturing the path the bolts would follow. I fired shots that intersected on top of Siarnaq, then flipped around to fly backwards when he appeared behind me, surprising him and scoring major damage on his thin P-Armor.

Meanwhile, Grey was getting in several lucky hits. Soon, Siarnaq reappeared holding his wounded arm. "DAMAGE…CRITICAL! HAZARDOUS TO PROCEED WITH COMBAT ENGAGEMENT IN PRESENT CONDITION. RETREATING!" As the purple Mega Man vanished, he left behind a green, sparkling light. The sparkle flew over to enter Grey's body, causing a flash. Model A said in a flat, emotionless tone, **Copied Model P's data.** Then, Grey suddenly doubled over in obvious pain.

"AAARGH!"

As he screamed, I was suddenly in pain, too. I doubled over, and as my vision blacked out, I saw and heard a flat, recorded voice detailing HIS plans…

**EXTRACTING FROM CODE CH640 TO FJ835. EXPANDING REPORT DATA.**

** …Biometal's power isn't something that can be had by just anyone. It must be wielded by a Chosen One, one with the power to change the world. I devised this cipher to lock away the power of the Biometal, allowing only the Chosen One to release its power. In other words, it's locked to its Biomatch. I've decided to find a new Chosen One for Model W, the next step in evolution. Finding a suitable candidate in this world is nearly impossible. But I can do it, because as one of Legion's Sage Trinity, I know everything about the world…**

…The pain faded. The world came back into focus, but everything was more confusing than before.

"Model W was made by one of the Sage Trinity?" I asked, flabbergasted.

**That means they and Prometheus are connected somehow behind the scenes. And we can't even trust the Sage Trinity! Do you still want to go?**

"Come on, Model A! They're the only ones who know about us. Besides, if we run, then HE'LL win the Game of Destiny and probably destroy the world!" Grey made a very convincing argument.

"Yeah, running never solves anything," I agreed, "but we've still got to be careful. HE definitely knows we're coming for him, whichever one of the Sages HE is."

_A/N: Sorry, Master Albert appears next chapter. You probably aren't even reading this far, but it's a personal milestone for me!_


	5. A Plot Twist

**Chapter 5: A Plot Twist**

** Or: The Bad Guy Gets Away!**

The next room was really, really dark. I couldn't see more than three inches in front of me. Luckily, I still had my Transerver.

Grey morphed into Siarnaq and forged ahead confidently with Model P's enhanced senses and Radar Scope. I teleported outside the building.

On the roof, we followed two different routes to a long girder, where we fought a King Flyer. The giant, fly-like Mechaniloid went down easily—right on top of the girder. All three of us fell down to the building below. I said a silent thank-you that Biometal armor resisted damage from long falls.

The rest of the area was a series of devices that carried us from skyscraper to skyscraper, always approaching the Legion HQ Building.

There were sounds of an argument when we finally rode the elevator to the top of Legion HQ. We barged into the Sage Trinity's meeting room, a huge space with windows all around looking down on Legion City. In the middle of the room, Masters Thomas and Mikhail stood opposite Master Albert, who had four fragments of Model W floating around him in a swirling pattern.

**Hey, isn't that Biometal? **Model A had never (in his memory) seen a Model W Biometal fragment before, so I kept silent.

Master Albert smirked, and for the first time, I saw his eyes. They were totally black, aside from flat, red irises. If there was a Devil, I decided, he'd have eyes just like those. "Two of the ciphers have been broken. I wonder, just how much information has been compromised? I meant to dispose of you sooner, but things didn't go exactly as planned." His voice slithered into my ears like a poisonous viper.

"Master Albert! You'll pay for all you've done to the world!" I yelled at him. He's supposed to save people and protect them, and he goes and builds a monster like Model W?

"Atlas? How did you break my control?" Master Albert actually looked surprised, his confident demeanor dissolving for just a fraction of a second.

"I'm not as stupid as Atlas, that's how!"

**Yeah, and you're going to pay for what you and Model W did to my buds!**

"Yeah, you tell him, Model F!" Grey said.

Master Albert just smirked again. "As I told these two fools: if you're opposed to my plan, then just try and stop me!"

Grey rushed forward, locking on with multiple attacks. "Master Alberrrt!"

The four fragments of Model W that still surrounded Master Albert moved to intercept every attack, but the concussive force still burst the window behind him. Unscathed, Master Albert began to float just a couple inches off the ground. As he floated out the window and over empty space, he said ominously, "We will meet again. You are, after all, made in my image." Then, with a final grin, he dropped out of sight.

Grey and I ran to the edge, but Master Albert was nowhere to be found. And that's saying something, since we could see all of Legion City from here. We turned back to the Sage Trinity (Sage Duo?) to get some answers.

_A/N: The next chapter isn't written yet, but I'll try to finish this. Hopefully, my readers (IF I have readers) will be there next time, too!_


	6. A Lot of Talking

Flamma Wies

**Chapter 6: A Lot of Talking**

**Or: The Fun Stuff is Still Coming!**

_A/N: The reason this took so long is because all the chapters up to this point were pre-written. Expect long waits between chapters from here on. Sorry_._ Also, I expected this discussion to be short enough to include Aeolus's stage, but I guess not. Basically no action here._

Master Thomas turned toward us, a grim expression on his face. Then again, his expression was always grim-looking. "Okay, you two. I'll tell you everything we know. With these mechanical bodies, we've been able to live for centuries. When Master Albert joined the Sage Trinity those centuries ago, he was already working on Model W. Also, I looked you up in our database, Grey."

"And did you find anything out about me?" Grey had a lot of hope riding on Master Thomas's next words.

"Well, there was no data on you. It appears that you never existed." And just like that, Grey's hope was shattered and replaced by anger.

"That's ridiculous! You're lying!" I figured that was pretty harsh, especially when talking to the ruler of the free world.

"Calm down! It's true that you are standing right here, so it's possible that Albert hacked in from the outside and erased it."

Grey's anger drained out of his expression, replaced by exhausted hopelessness. "I came all the way here, went through all of that, almost got killed several times, and all you can tell me is that you don't know anything?"

Model A sighed, apparently sharing Grey's sentiment.

Suddenly, Master Mikhail, who had disappeared at some point before the discussion, returned to the room. "People, bad news. We've got Mavericks showing up everywhere. Albert has started hunting for food for his Model W."

Model A got agitated. **He knows the jig is up, so he's going for a Hail Mary! Let's go, Grey!**

I expected Grey to jump at the chance, but he didn't. "I can't... I don't know anything about myself or the world. How can I stand up to Albert, who knows everything?"

"You already have!" I decided to contribute to the conversation. "Why do you need knowledge to fight?"

**Yeah, who needs know-how when you have ME? **Model F chimed in.

Model A took up the idea. **Yeah, Grey! Are you just going to let people suffer? Some conscience you have!**

"But..." Clearly Grey was at a loss for words.

**Oh, come on! I know you! You're a tough-talking stubborn kid who helps people he doesn't know without expecting anything in return! A kind, crazy fool! Let's go make Albert tell us everything he knows! And yeah, we can do heroic rescues along the way!**

"You're right. We're the only ones who stand a chance of beating Albert!"

"I'm glad to hear that, Grey," said Master Thomas in the same tone of voice he always used, "because I've got a new mission for you. Atlas, you're welcome to join if you wish. I want you to stop Albert's plan and save our world. I've added four areas to the Transerver's transfer database. Go to each one and stop Albert from recovering Model Ws."

"I'll go, too. I can't just sit here while the world goes to pieces, even if this isn't my world."

"Say what?" asked Master Mikhail. "What do you mean?"

"It's a long story that starts with me waking up in the wrong bed, the wrong body, and the wrong world. And no, I don't know how it happened. My name's Alice. Nice to meet you, Sages. Anyway, Model F wouldn't let me hear the end of it if Grey and I..." I nudged Grey out of his stupor, "...just stood here and did nothing. Let's go!"

**Darn skippy I would! Where to first?**

"Um, we have to go to the Transerver before going anywhere, and...oh, sorry!" I kept shoving Grey toward the back door.

_A/N: Thanks to all reviewers, however few they are in number! I'm just starting on Chapter 7, titled: "A Long Road, Or: Thetis Dumps Me!"_


	7. A Long Road

Flamma Wies

**Chapter 7: A Long Road**

**Or: Thetis Dumps Me**

_A/N: I'm not quite sure how to write this one, so it may seem slightly different from the prewritten chapters. Also, I need to know (in PMs; I can't figure out how to read my reviews from FF dot net) whether to split up Grey and Alice or keep them doing teamwork. On the one hand, splitting up would mean fewer chapters, since this story only follows Alice. That could be good or bad. On the other, Alice simply can't go all the places Grey can, because she can't A-Trans. Also, I don't want to just use Alice's Transerver as a cop-out. Thanks to those who reviewed and/or alerted/favorited this story! I'm caught in a wonderful loop where the more I write, the more people notice, and the more I have to write!_

"Okay, Alice! I can walk! Stop pushing!" I released Grey from my death-grip and shoved him onto the elevator, which brought us down to the Transerver room. Grey quickly selected the Highway as a destination and disappeared before I could hop on the platform, so I whipped out my portable device and followed him.

The Highway was packed with cars, trucks, and all other kinds of wheel-based transportation, which meant that no one was actually getting anywhere. Also, for every vehicle, there were two Mavericks trying to blow up anything that moved. As I watched, a car began to move, about fifteen miles slower than the speed limit, and one of the anti-speeding police Mechaniloids turned red and dove at it. I transformed and shot it out of the air before it could connect.

"Gee, I wonder what we're supposed to do here..."

"_Beep. _Those Mavericks are attacking the city. All the people fleeing in cars have caused a traffic jam. The situation is gridlock. Hold off the Mavericks and buy the people some time to escape. Good luck, Mega Men. _Beep._"

"I was being sarcastic, Master Mikhail." I muttered to the unresponsive comm. "Let's go, Grey!"

Grey A-Transed into Mega Man Model P, which gave him the ability to throw more kunai than he could shoot bolts from his Buster. Also, the kunai had less chance of accidentally blowing up a civilian vehicle when he sprayed them everywhere. He dashed ahead, momentarily blurring out of existence. He was learning quickly, but he wasn't quite as good at the warping technique as Siarnaq was. I followed in a more visible manner, opening fire under more control than Model F would have liked.

**Aw, can't we just spray them?**

"No, that would blow up the civilians."

**What about bombs?**

"That would be even worse! Uh-oh, we're falling behind!"

I couldn't quite appreciate it during the fight with Siarnaq, but Grey/Model P moved _fast_. I didn't catch up until he un-Transed and got caught up in a conversation with one of the motorists, an old, gray-haired Reploid to whom I couldn't pay much attention.

"Grey, we have bombers incoming!"

"Just great! I don't have any anti-air weapons," Grey yelled back.

"Then I'll handle it!" I aimed straight up as the odd bomber, which looked like some kind of blue stingray with fangs, hovered overhead. My inner fangirl giggled at the implications of a "Blue Bomber", but the rest of me opened fire and plugged falling ice cubes and bombs with one gun while the other blasted the interior of the plane's cargo bay. It takes a lot of coordination to do that, let me just say.

Soon, something exploded inside the bomber, and the bay doors closed. It didn't fall out of the sky like I'd hoped, but it did fly ahead to take up a less contested position. I ran ahead to take it on while Grey reassured and encouraged the drivers to get out of here "while they still could, not that we would let them die or anything." I facepalmed, which really hurts while holding Knuckle Busters, then took aim and fired.

After three or four repetitions (I wasn't keeping track), the plane-which Model F finally remembered was called a Cankerfly-fell out of the sky and into the sea next to the highway, creating an impressive splash-boom effect. "Well, that wraps that up. How are the drivers doing, Grey?"

"Great! They're all out of this section! All we need to do is beat all the Mavericks following them, and find a Transerver to get to the next area."

Something told me it wouldn't be that easy.

I turned out to be right, as a giant Circrush rose up through the Highway ahead of us. When I say "rose up through the Highway", I mean "tore the concrete and metal apart and threw it all over the place". It was surrounded by four spiky, whirling crushers, and behind them, a shield covered the main body whenever its one big eye was closed. It advanced, tearing up the Highway in front of it, and I only got a few lucky shots past its defenses. Soon, it stopped whirling with one giant crusher facing us, and shot the units out in four directions. I leaped over the flying Weed Whacker from the Black Lagoon, landed directly in front of the main unit, and plugged it with two charged bombs, a fire wave, and fifty regular shots before the jerk finally died.

"How many Circrushes does it take to change a light bulb?" I asked as the smoke cleared.

"I dunno," Gray replied.

"More than the number that just tried to kill us!" I cracked up at my own lame joke.

**Is it just me, or is she enjoying this? **Asked Model A.

**I don't think it's just you. I like blowing up mechs as much as the next Biometal, but that's just ridiculous. And that joke wasn't even funny! **Model F replied, with the last comment aimed at me.

"Sorry... just trying to break the tension."

"Hey, is that...?" We'd been walking and talking and blowing up the odd Maverick, when Grey spotted someone up ahead, just standing amid the carnage. Someone with blue hair...

"Thetis? Are you the one who caused all this havoc?" Like Grey even needed to ask.

"I'm flattered. You remembered my name!" His nice-sounding words were offset by his sarcastic tone.

"Thetis, wake up! Model W has you under its control!" I wanted to save this one. Of the four, he was the most normal.

"What do you mean?" Thetis tilted his head.

"Your eyes are red, and I'm betting they weren't always that color. Plus, no one in their right mind would think tearing up the Highway would help anything!"

Thetis seemed to consider it, but then his eyes hardened. "So, Atlas, you've really turned against us. Follow me." He Megamerged in a spray of ice, then dashed into the sea. Grey followed after, but I hesitated. It was an incredibly obvious trap. Model L was obviously designed with underwater combat in mind, hence the giant propeller unit on Thetis' head.

My mind was made up for me when a dragon of ice floated out of the ground at my feet and dumped me unceremoniously into the battlefield.

I landed clumsily on a piece of sunken highway. There was a Model W floating halfway down with a purple, pulsing aura, and Thetis was talking to Grey. I thanked Model F for activating the face mask that allowed me to breathe, see and hear underwater.

"Thanks for joining us, Atlas." Thetis would have been dripping acid from his tongue if we hadn't already been underwater. "Now, as I was saying, the sea during the war was no place for living creatures. Afterward, the sea's beauty was restored, but as Humans repopulated, the sea once again grew filthy. Humans have to desecrate the earth to live on it, so I'm going to awaken Model W and wipe them out! Once I defeat you, I'll be even more powerful! Prepare yourself!" Thetis floated upward, then launched a huge projectile from his L-Halberd.

"So, this is your answer? I was hoping you could be saved, for once. Why do you people never learn?" I launched a bomb, but it didn't fly very far before exploding.

**Hold on! I'm working...and DONE! Aqua Bombs are now complete! Alice, I can create new bomb types for just about any situation. Try these Aqua Bombs to hit enemies underwater! I've been working on these for a while, so I can't wait to see them in action! **Model F was practically bouncing up and down in my head with excitement.

"Gotcha! Arming Aqua Bombs!" My guns flashed, indicating the new bombs were armed. I threw a volley, and the torpedo-shaped bombs blew up all over Thetis, who yelped as his armor started to burn-and then went out, because we were underwater, but the damage was done. Grey A-Transed to Buckfire, and jumped around launching arrows that somehow managed to burn underwater. Thetis had to pat out the fires, then floated there, panting.

"It's too bad...Atlas, I thought you at least would understand what I'm trying to accomplish! I won't give up! I will awaken Model W, and change this world for the better!" Thetis vanished-with the Model W. However, he left behind a green light, just like Siarnaq. This time, I braced myself for the burning pain, but it wasn't quite enough. I still blacked out.

**Copied Model L's data.**

**EXTRACTING FROM CODE FC61 TO UC79. EXPANDING REPORT DATA. In order to find a Biomatch for Model W, first I created two sibling Reploids. In addition to giving them a portion of Model W's power, I gave them one commandment. That commandment was to determine the most powerful Mega Man. To match each of my Biometals to a Chosen One. And to have them fight until only one was left. The winner of this contest will inherit the power of Model W, and become the ultimate Mega Man. Yes, the new king of the world, the Mega Man King.**

"Ouch... That hurts every time!"

**We broke another cipher. Now I understand why Mega Men fight each other. But where is the data on us? And who the heck are the two Reploid siblings? **Model A wondered.

"Furthermore, if Albert knows everything, why can't he count his commandments? That was clearly three commandments," I pointed out.

"Yeah, but that's not the important part..." Grey mused.

"_Beep. _Looks like everyone got out safely. Just what we'd expect from Chosen Ones_. Beep."_

"Not really. Most Chosen Ones would kill them all."

**Grey, what's wrong? You look down.**

"I was just thinking."

"Lemme guess... You're thinking about what Thetis said, about Mega Men fighting to change the world. You're fighting to learn about yourself, but that's not why we came here. We came here to save hundreds of commuters from a collective violent death, exacted by that Model W that Thetis took off with. We did save them, too. Who says you can't fight for more than one reason? Saving this world is the only thing that keeps my mind off of angsting over returning to my own world. That's why I fight, because this world is worth saving. Now come on, let's get out of this water. I'm going to catch cold, which would suck, given the whole Flame Mega Man angle." I turned and wall-kicked out of the sea.

Grey followed, then said, "Thank you, Alice. What you said down there really helped me."

"Yeah, well. You looked like you could use an inspirational monologue, so I tried my best." I turned toward the door.

_A/N: No, I'm not planning to make this a Grey/Alice pairing. I do think, however, that Grey should have someone who's nice to him on a regular basis, rather than shooting/slashing him whenever they meet. It is possible to have a friend who is a girl and not a girlfriend. Also, the monologue acknowledges the thoughts Grey has after the Thetis fight without actually getting into his head, which I can't do in a first-person fic from Alice's point of view._


	8. A Hole in the World

**Flamma Wies**

**Chapter 8: A Hole in the World**

**Or: I Get Burned**

_A/N: Here's where my story deviates from the actual plotline of ZXA. Thanks for all the suggestions, and I hope you enjoy!_

"Okay, now what?" I groaned.

"What do you mean?" Grey asked with his default cluelessness.

**These two areas are going to be too hard for me to get through. We're going to have to split up! **Model F yelled.

"Sheesh, you don't have to yell all the time!"

"...Okay, you take the Control Center. I'll do the Ruins." Grey immediately warped ahead.

"Man, he's enthusiastic..."

I warped to the indicated spot, where what I was supposed to do became immediately apparent.

"Holy (expletive)! The place is on fire! What are we supposed to do about this?"

"_Beep. _You can't put out the fire until you fix the thermal runaway. That control center controls several furnaces around the city. If it explodes, there will be a disaster. _Beep._"

**While I'm normally a huge fan of giant explosions, this is bad.**

"No kidding! We've gotta get moving!" I dashed forward, dodging flames and Mechaniloids on my way to the far door.

The door led into a huge elevator that slowly rose. I would have been impatiently tapping my foot, had I not been dodging the fireballs being hurled at me throughout the ride.

From the top of the shaft, I dashed through another burning room to a smaller room with a bunch of square lights on the wall. A group of five cannons stacked up in front of me, blocking the door.

**Hey, no fair! Those Capsule Converters are using MY Buster Edit technology!**

"Then let's blow them up and keep moving!"

The cannons could only fire one at a time, and it turned out the lights on the wall indicated where the shots would travel. All I had to do was keep shooting, and not stand in front of any red lights. Soon enough, the cannons were all totaled, and they exploded at the same time. **I think explosions are pretty!**

"Too bad we've got to stop this one, then!"

We kept fighting our way to the tippy-top of the Control Center, where there was a Model W floating in midair. A purple-armored Reploid with a huge helmet spike and an even bigger beam scythe appeared.

"It's been a while, Atlas!"

"You're Prometheus, right? I have nothing to say to you."

"Aw, you forgot me? I'm hurt, really. No rush, though. I'll cut you and that Defective to ribbons soon enough. Right now, I'm taking this Model W." And he did. He vanished, and a huge robot-a Pseudoroid-floated down to the roof where he used to be. The Pseudoroid looked like a pink bee with an ENORMOUS abdomen. It spoke in a haughty, painful-to-hear tone.

"Aw, did little Prometheus leave already? He's so impatient. In a moment the energy furnaces will explode, and a beautiful fire flower will bloom, filled with sweet nectar. The nectar of terror."

"Not if I can stop it!"

"Oh, hush, traitor! I'm Queenbee. I'll give you some of my special nectar: despair, with a touch of bitterness."

"Queenbee? That was going to be my first guess. Bring it on!"

Hatches opened on the surface of Queenbee's abdomen, which I realized was really an enormous container that Queenbee was lugging around. Beelike drones shot out, then dove at me. They got punched right back where they came from, which dented the container. I reasoned that if I could destroy the container, I could get a clean shot at the main body, so I focused my fire on the dent I'd made. A few volleys, and the sphere violently exploded, warping Queenbee's armor underneath. I blasted her with several bombs, but it turned out she, too, used a fire element, so the bombs didn't do much. I switched to buster shots, and kept plugging until she materialized a new container, which didn't last long. A couple bombs, and the container was history, tearing off Queenbee's real abdomen. She fell to the ground, defeated. "Agh... What? You refuse my precious gift of despair? AAGH!" Queenbee exploded, leaving behind a green sparkle like the other bosses, but Grey wasn't here to pick it up.

"Model F, can you hold onto that for Grey?"

**I can do better than that! I can devise a neat bomb type from the data, THEN give it to Grey!**

"Cool! Let's go stop that furnace!"

In the next room, there was a big computer, and a bigger power conduit, which was shaking in a worrisome manner. "Master Mikhail, I stopped the Pseudoroid's interference with the signal. Can you fix it from there?"

"Yeah, we're on it! What? The cooling function can't keep up with the runaway! Try ripping out the core module, right in front of you. That'll shut the facility down by force."

"Um...this looks too big to just pick up. If Grey were here, he could morph into Queenbee and lift it, but..."

**Oh, (expletive)! The temperature is rising faster! Try destroying the core!**

I placed mines all around the module, and detonated them all at once, to no effect. Suddenly, however, the core shot out unnaturally black lightning all over the place, tearing the room apart. I didn't even have time to swear before a wave of darkness radiated out and swallowed me.

(Meanwhile...)

"Alice! Alice! Are you there? Respond!" Mikhail yelled at the comm., apparently hoping the extra volume would help.

The thermal runaway had stopped, but witnesses reported that the top of the Center had blown up in a "black explosion." Soldiers were dispatched, but there was no sign of any life in the area. Also, they'd lost contact with Alice at the same time, and Model F's energy signature had disappeared. With so much energy, how could it simply drop off the sensors?

(Back with Alice...)

"Ouch... What happened?" I hadn't opened my eyes yet, but I could tell I was unmerged, lying down on something soft, and I was still wearing Atlas' clothes and body.

**I dunno. Where are we? Someone's house?**

I opened my eyes, and looked around. "This is...my room! I'm back home, in my own world! But how can I explain this to Mom?"

_A/N: I apologize for the wait. No excuses, I was just lazy. Next chapter: A Place Called Home, or: Can I Save the Multiverse, Mom? Alice has some explaining to do, Model F figures out cross-universal travel, Master Albert finds Alice's world, Mom is expectedly confused, and Dad is unsympathetic. Can both worlds be saved?_


	9. A Place Called Home

**Flamma Wies**

**Chapter 9: A Place Called Home**

**Or: May I Save the Multiverse, Mom?**

_A/N: No one's reviewed my last chapter as of the time I'm writing this, but I'm writing the next chapter anyway._

"Hi, Mom!" I'd opted to get the first word in, because otherwise, I'd be kicked out of my own house.

"Ahh! Don't scare me like that, Alice...!" Mom whipped around, and suddenly remembered I was supposed to be missing, and this girl was a stranger. Mom had black hair even though she was older than Dad, and was somewhat overweight, although you won't hear me say that in her presence. "Hey! You're not my daughter! Are you the one who took her?"

"Um, no. I am your daughter, although I may not look it. I'm almost as confused as you, but at least I know where I've been. How long was I gone, anyway?" How does time work across that void?

"A...a day or two. Now, If you're really my daughter, what did you get for your tenth birthday?"

Ah, a trick question. "A pony."

"...!" I could see I had her, but I decided to make sure.

"Actually, I got a Game Boy Advance SP, but the pony is a running joke, remember? Every present is an inflatable pony, or a just-add-water pony, or a fold-up pony..."

"Okay, you win. You're my daughter. But where were you, and why do you look like that?"

"Um, well...that story is even crazier than you've seen so far. Remember that game you got me right before I disappeared?"

"Yes, that Mega-something game. You always did like those."

"I was sucked into an alternate time, or universe, or whatever, where the events in the game happened, and are happening right now, as we speak. I've been fighting robots and trying to help save that world from being conquered by a guy named Master Albert, with the help of Model F, here. Stop hiding, F!"

Model F sheepishly appeared over my shoulder. Mom jumped again. **Hey-a! I'm Model F, the Biometal of Flame! Nice to meetcha, I guess...**

"Whoa-what-who-when..."

"Mom, I look like this because I apparently bodysnatched one of the important characters in the game. Her name was Atlas, and because I'm her, I can Megamerge with Model F. I might need to go back to that universe and help out again."

"Absolutely not!" my dad yelled from behind me.

Dad had gray hair and a bald spot from all the ideas taking off. He worked in engineering, and was always the tougher of my parents to convince of anything.

"Whoa, when did you get here, Dad?" He just loved scaring me like that...

"Right about the start of the conversation. Even if you are Alice, and especially if you are, I won't send you into a dangerous situation to get killed, even if you could get back there!"

**Actually, I can get her back. I just created some Dimension Bombs from the data I got from being dragged here. And as long as I'm here, I can keep her safe. I mean, if she dies out there, I'll be bored for another hundred years or so! Not to mention that whole world would be destroyed, and all. I like my world! **Model F jumped in.

"Yeah, and is it really worth the death of a whole world to keep me here? Also, there's no telling if that villain can find us here, which would be REALLY bad, so I've got to stop him before he does any-"

"Too late, Traitor." Speak of the devil...

"MEGAMERGE!" Mom and dad jumped back as the column of flames hit the ceiling, though it didn't burn anything. The F-Armor formed around me, and as soon as it finished, I flung a new Dimension Bomb in Prometheus' general direction. A black sphere formed around him, and when it faded, he was gone. "See, Dad? He's not going to give up that easily. I can't always be there to stop him, either. Although that was just one of his closer minions... If he ever decides to come here himself, I'm not sure I can stop him without endangering you or others."

"Um..." I could tell most of the situation was sailing over Dad's highly-educated head. He was gawking at me, then alternating to the spot where Prometheus disappeared.

**Um, update? Prometheus-that guy in the purple with the scythe? He's not dead. My bomb just shunted him back to my dimension.**

"So what you're saying is, he could just pop right back?" This was not good.

**Um, I guess it depends on how fast his way of getting here works, but definitely soon.**

"So," I said, turning back to my parents, "If I don't go back and destroy Albert and his dimension hopping machine, he'll keep sending super-powered minions to kill you and take over the world. Now, can I go?"

"At least stay for lunch!" Mom was right; my stomach rumbled.

"It's a good thing it's summer vacation, or I would definitely have to say no. You get this done quickly, and don't you dare overstrain yourself or die, Alice." Dad always tacked on extra conditions whenever he conceded a point.

"Okay, now that that's settled, what's for lunch?"

*BEEP BEEP!*

"Oh, the soup's on!" Mom rushed to get it out of the microwave (our family went by the time honored policy that if you can't nuke it in less than five minutes, it's probably not worth eating), and I went to get the crackers.

Over soup, I explained the situation more fully. This was the first time ever that my parents were actually interested in the plot of a game, since now it was a life-or-death situation. Mom interrupted me once to tell me for the bamillionth time to avoid talking with my mouth full.

Once everyone was finished, we hugged goodbye, and I stepped out into the backyard and Megamerged. I looked back over my shoulder, waved, and punched a Dimension Mine into the ground. One detonation later, I stood up in the ruined leftovers of the Control Center's top floor, back in 24XX.

_A/N: I'm going to assume for the next chapter that Grey worked fast and cleared the other two stages over lunch (and time does flow differently across the dimensional rift). Next chapter is a reunion with Grey and the fight with Aile: Chapter Ten: A Misconception, Or: Double Megamerge Transformation GO!_


	10. A Misconception

**Flamma Wies**

**Chapter Ten: A Misconception**

**Or: Double Megamerge Transformation GO!**

_A/N: Sorry it's been a while. I did tell you guys to expect long waits, right? But it's here now!_

"*Beep* Alice! *Beep*"

"Master Thomas! How long was I gone?"

"*Beep* About nine hours. Where were you? *Beep*"

"The explosion of the Control Center, mixed with the power of Model F and the anomaly that is me, tore a hole in space-time. I've been having lunch at my house back in my world, but I came back to finish my job. Oh, and could you track other pulses of energy like that explosion? Prometheus appeared in my world, and I had to send him back here. I need to find his method of dimension-hopping and blow it up, or my world is dead meat. We don't have robots, Reploids, or Robot Masters where I come from." I caught my breath after the lengthy explanation. I don't like having to explain things. Maybe I've got more in common with Model F than I thought...

"*Beep* Okay. We'll keep an eye out. In the meantime, we've detected a Model W in the Quarry near Hunter's Camp. Grey is on his way there now. *Beep*" The radio to Master Thomas went silent.

"That beep noise gets really annoying..." I muttered as I transferred back to Hunter's Camp. 

"The Quarry? Grey went that way a couple seconds ago. I don't know how he'll get in. It's got a heavy manhole on it."

"Thanks a bundle!" I told the random Hunter. 

"Grey!"

"Alice! Where have you been?"

"Another accidental dimension switch sent me home, but now I can jump back and forth between here and home easily. Oh! Model F, can you give him Queenbee's data?"

**Yup! I've got Sting Missiles to try, too! Here, Grey! **The green sparkle of DNA data flew from Model F to Grey.

**Cool! With this, we can lift that manhole!**

Grey looked apprehensive. "But Queenbee's a girl..."

"It doesn't really matter, you know. Queenbee looks nothing like a person, so you'll be fine. Thanks for the sexism, by the way." I was not amused.

"Okay... Sorry. A-Trans!" Grey/Queenbee wasted no time raising and discarding the manhole cover. Grey transformed into Thetis, and jumped down. 

Oh, Craft. "There's a tunnel with spikes on it, underwater, with...argh!"

**We could unmerge, then you could swim through. Can you swim? **

"Oh, duh! Yeah, I'm a champ swimmer. Totally forgot."

**Just remember to hold your breath... **I took a deep breath, unmerged, and swam as fast as I could through the tunnel.

Remerging, I realized Grey hadn't bothered to wait up for me. He was already two gates ahead, and I barely got there before he dropped the balance weight to seal me out and him in.

"Thanks for waiting." I brushed off the water from my armor and glared at him.

"Oops! Sorry!" Grey was way too meek to be saving the world, but he'd have to do.

"Well, let's go to the Quarry! How much do you want to bet it's dark down there?"

"I don't gamble," Grey responded. 

"Hey, what gives?" A demolished Spidrill Mechaniloid lay in a heap in the corner of the first room. "A lucky break? Who blew it up?"

**It looks like a Mega Man did it, **Model F noted.

**But Albert's guys shouldn't have to fight Mavericks... **Model A mused.

"Well, today's weather is dark with a chance of Mega Men. Let's go," I said, then promptly tripped over a piece of valuable ceratanium, which is what used to be mined here until the Spidrills went berserk.

A couple minutes of blind stumbling later, I finally caught up to Grey, who had remembered to wait up this time. "Sorry I'm late. Looks like Model W is just beyond this door. This time, let's get to it first."

Inside the room, a Model W hung suspended from a couple thick cables, casting an eerie kind of pressure through the air just by being there. And that wasn't all.

"Who are you?" A girl in her late teens, to whom Grey's question was aimed, turned around.

"What're these kids doing here?"

"Um, you're not that old yourself," I pointed out.

Suddenly, a device that was clearly a Biometal floated out from behind the girl. **Be careful, Aile! I sense Biometal on them!**

"Isn't that totally obvious? We're in full armor!" I was promptly ignored.

A SECOND Biometal floated out, and stared at Grey. **I've never sensed anything like him before. Who is he? And... Model F, you're awake!**

**Well, yeah, but it looks like I'm the only one.**

**Two Biometals? Is she a Mega Man? **Model A wondered aloud.

"Uh, oh! Step away from that Model W!" Grey had apparently come to the conclusion that other Mega Men were bad news (myself excluded, hopefully.)

"What do you want with it?" Aile's voice had an accusing tone.

"I'm here to retrieve it! I won't hand another one over to you!" Grey meant "you", as in "Mega Men", but Aile took it the wrong way.

"I figured as much. In that case, you leave me no choice. Model X! Model Z! Double...MEGAMERGE!"

Both Biometals (held over her head in an exaggerated fashion) flashed in unison. As one, they intoned, **Biolink established. M.E.G.A. System online.**

Then there was a pretty swirl of color and data, and a fully ZX-Armored Aile struck a pose.

"Who does she think she is, a Power Ranger?" I asked Model F.

**Aile, it's you!** Model F recognized her now that she was armored. No one noticed either of us.

"Wait, wait, wait. That's the same Aile you mentioned before? The one who saved a whole country from Model W? Great, now we're the bad guys..."

"I can't let you have the Model W, especially if you're Mega Men! I will protect everyone!" Aile charged her ZX-Pistol, and fired.

The battle was on. Grey leaped aside, and responded with his own charged shot. Aile turned her Pistol into the ZX-Saber, and batted the blast away. It whacked into Model W with a resounding thud, but no one noticed. The other two Mega Men were everywhere, climbing opposite walls, slashing, dashing, and shooting. I had no opening to fire on them, so I aimed toward Model W. Right as I fired a basic bomb at it, Grey struck the decisive blow, crushing the armor on Aile's right arm. A green sparkle lifted from her panting head, but unlike the other Mega Men, she didn't teleport out, and thus didn't escape the resonance as Model A unlocked another cipher. **Copied Model ZX's data.**

"Argh! What's this?"

**He's resonating! Could it be because of his Biometal?**

**Be careful, Aile! There's some kind of data pouring out from his Biometal!**

Then everything went black.**  
><strong> 

**Copying from code (_) to (_). Expanding report data...**

**"This is the last cipher. Sleeping Model Ws all over the world wait for their time of awakening. And when all Model Ws have combined, the ultimate Biometal will be born. Its name will be Ouroboros... The one who holds the Ouroboros will evolve beyond the mere fusion of man and machine. My goal is to become the ultimate Mega Man. My name is Master Albert, and I decide how things are going to be. This final message is for you, the Chosen One. I hope my research paves the way to a new course of evolution."  
><strong> 

The pain and light faded.

"Ouroboros and the ultimate Mega Man... That's Albert's plan!" Grey realized aloud.

At the same time, Model A murmured, **Now I get it... The reason why we were created... Why you can Megamerge with me...**

Wait, what? "Model A! Do you remember? Do you know about me?" Grey was all over the idea.

"Yeah, did you get something out of that mess that we didn't?" I wondered how one could evolve beyond being both man and machine at once. Did Albert mean he'd become some kind of omnipotent being? A god? Who was he kidding?

"Can someone explain it to me, too?" Aile called from her spot on the ground across the room. "When I resonated with you just now, I saw a lot of data. That man, Master Albert, created Model W, right? So who are you four? How could you be carrying this data and not know it?"

**That's kind of hard to explain... **Model A mumbled.

*BZZT! BZZT! CRUNCH!*

Cutting off Model A, the Model W piece we'd been so recently fighting over succumbed to the damage it had incurred and fell into the black pit it had been hanging over.

**Uh-oh! Model W!**

**It must have taken damage in the fighting...** Model X and Model Z remained on task, to their credit.

Grey, however, did not. "Model A, tell me! Who am I?"

Model A immediately began stalling. **I'm sorry...I can't tell you now...**

"Model A!" I could tell that if Grey knew any curses, he'd be cussing like the Urban Dictionary back home. Model A backed up.

"Stop it! That's not fair to the Biometal, and this isn't the time for that." Aile pushed herself to her feet. "While we're standing here, Model W is making more Mavericks, which is going to make it tough to get close."

"Wait, Model W 'makes' Mavericks? I thought it just possessed the Mechaniloids nearby!" I was actually sort of impressed. How could Model W make semi-sentient machines out of nothing?

"Nope. I don't know how it works, and I don't want to know. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go after that thing-oof!" Aile tried to take a step, and stumbled.

"Can you move? I'll go on ahead Sorry, Model A. Let's keep moving." Grey turned toward the door and left.

"Leave Model W to us for now, and take an E-Tank or something. I'm really sick of how those Model Ws keep getting away, so I'm raring to blow stuff up." I nodded to Aile, and followed Grey out the door. 

Five minutes later...

"Argh!" I shouted, doing the Spider Web Dance for what seemed like the bamillionth time to try to get Exspider webs off my face. "How many darn Exspiders are there down here, anyway?"

**Um... I'll say 'a lot.' Try shooting ahead to burn the webs. **Model F's advice was really helpful, and it only took two more minutes before a huginormic crashing noise alerted us to a Crushpactor DD that fell behind us. The green vehicle, which ran on treads, hoisted a giant rock crusher and revved up to smash us. Worse yet, a rock wall was right ahead of us, and there wasn't any way around.

"Now what? Alice, any ideas?" Grey looked panicked. I ran through my options, then came up with a crazy idea.

"Hold onto me! We're transferring!" I whipped out my Transerver, pulled up the short-range interface, and warped us just behind the crazy Crushpactor. It skidded to a halt, its Galleon driver having no clue where we went. I left Grey behind, and leapt onto the metal beast. Crashing through the window, I made short work of the Galleon inside and took the controls. I radioed Grey. "I've got this. One path to Model W, coming right up!"

Interestingly, the controls were WAY simple. I doubted even a Mettaur would have trouble understanding them. I smashed through the brittle stone in front of me, cruised over small pits, and leaped out and off right as the mech slid forward into a depression filled with nasty-looking spikes. As predicted, the machine exploded in a neat burst of flames, and we skirted around the spikes to the last chamber of the Quarry.

Model W was just ahead; I could literally feel its presence, and if that was anything to go by, it was already up to something big...

_A/N: Sorry this chapter took forever to get out. No excuses; I'm just lazy. Still, this is a little over five pages long, so I hope I've satisfied your craving to see more of my superior writing-get out of my head, Narcissistic Me! Sorry. I just need to get my writing personas under control. I believe the phenomenon is called my "muse," but sometimes it's just irritating. Next chapter: _A Correction, Or: Hey! No Kill-Stealing! _Anyway, the next chapter will probably be shorter than this._


	11. A Correction

**Flamma Wies**

Chapter 2: A Correction

_Or: Hey! No Kill-Stealing!_

We both rushed through the door the second it opened. There was Model W, lying on top of the carcass of another dead Spidrill. It was pulsing power over the pile of junk, and right before my eyes, the parts picked themselves up, rolled together, and formed into a good-as-new Spidrill under Model W, which sort of sank into the Mechaniloid's metal exoskeleton. Then there was a brilliant flash of red power that slammed both of us back against the wall of the pit, and when I could see again, the Spidrill was clinging to the rear wall with four of its eight legs, two hung idle, and the remaining two were preparing an electric attack. But what struck me was the color of the whole thing. It used to be orange with green eyes, but now it was gray with red eyes and lenses. I decided to call this new beast a Spidrill Neo.

Grey looked as incredulous as I felt, with an air of _What NOW? _about him. "Great. Now how do we bring this thing in? We'll have to blow it up!"

"That would be good too, right?" I figured Albert couldn't use it either if we just blew it up. Model F concurred, since he was a major explosion enthusiast.

** Alice, watch out for the electric pulses! My armor is weak against electric attacks!**

I sent Model F a mental thank-you for snapping me out of talking mode and into fighting, and dodged the spray of charges while charging a volley of my new slow-homing Stinger Bombs. Grey shot charged shot after Homing Attack after Pseudoroid attack, and my bombs detonated on the Spidrill Neo's carapace one after another, but the Neo didn't slow down one bit, even after we crushed its abdomen, cut off two of its supporting legs, and knocked out all four of its eyes. It just kept reforming as though we hadn't hurt it at all.

"*Huff, huff* How on earth can thing still move, let alone fight? It should be dead three times over!" Grey voiced what we were both thinking after about the fifteenth exhausting minute of blasting the Neo with no further results.

"Phew... Is this the strength of Model W?"

"I'll handle it! YAAAHH!" Aile's voice sounded from above. She'd apparently opted to jump down the pit after her wounds had healed, and her charged ZX-Saber smashed the Spidrill's carapace, sliced through the Model W power source, and caused the possessed Mechaniloid to explode as she jumped off its back.

Our simultaneous reactions were:

Me: "How did you make that look so darn easy?"

Grey: "But weren't you here to kill us?"

Model A:** Why didn't we think of that?**

Model F: **You freaking kill-stealer!**

Aile, after sorting out our various statements, chose to answer Grey's question first. "I'm not here for you, either. My objective has always been to destroy Model W, and stop the Game of Destiny, where Mega Men fight each other. Oh, I forgot to do introductions. What are your names?"

"I'm Alice, Mega Man Model F. Sorry we got off on the wrong foot."

"I'm Grey, and this is Model A." _Darn it Grey, we're in enemy territory! Don't de-merge!_

Aile de-merged (I noted she had a much simpler sequence for transforming in reverse), and her Biometals floated at her shoulders. "My name is Aile, Mega Man Model X. That's this blue Biometal here. The red one is Model Z, who isn't mine. He's a memento from a dear friend, the Mega Man who taught me why I fight." Anyway, we should talk, but not here. How about we share our stories at Hunter's Camp?"

Back at Hunter's Camp, we gave our perspective of events thus far. After I told my piece, Aile looked disbelieving. Her left eyebrow had somehow hid itself under her bangs. "Another universe? And this Master Albert knows how to get there? Seriously? You know you could get dumped in an asylum with a story like that, right?"

"Except I have the Dimension Bombs to prove it. I could take you there if you want, but I'm more concerned with blowing up whatever device Prometheus is using to get into my kitchen before he kills my parents. Do you have any allies that could help search for energy spikes like this?" I copied some data from the F-Armor's memory and sent it through the air to Model X.

"Well, yes, but I'm not sure where to start looking. My Guardians will be on the case, don't worry. Meanwhile, Grey, take this Green Key, okay?" She tossed a card to Grey, who fumbled with it for a few bumps before catching it. "There was Pseudoroid activity past the gate that that key opens. Use it to get to the Waterfall Ruins, where we're getting a jamming signal, and to find a Transerver to a weird lab that doesn't show up on global mapping systems. One of those places might contain the device you need to destroy, but both are probably important sites for Albert's 'plan'."

"Thanks, Aile! I'll get to it!" Grey was all prepped and ready to go.

"I wonder how Albert thinks he'll rule the world if he can't count or name his plan...?" I wondered out loud. We all burst out laughing. Things were looking up, at least.

"*Beep.* Master Thomas here. It's too bad that we couldn't get a Model W to analyze, but destroying it should put a wrench in Albert's plan. Head to that gate; we think whoever hacked our database did it from the Waterfall Ruins, so at least one of you should head there first. *Beep.*"

_A/N: I'm sorry! I can't offer any reason why it took so long. Procrastination doesn't even cover a wait this long. For anyone wondering, the only reason I finished it today is because my little brother was following it and asked me. Everyone say, "Thank you, mysteriousguy898's little brother!" Speaking of everyone, I didn't get any reviews since chapter 9, so I'm hoping all my readers haven't left yet. If you're reading, please confirm by leaving a review! Next chapter: _A Gate, or: Prometheus Wins 100 EC!


	12. A Gate

**Flamma Wies**

**Chapter 1: A Gate**

**Or: Prometheus Wins 100 EC**

"Grey, you take the Waterfall Ruins. I'll go to the Lab."

That was my plan for what to do with Aile's Green Key. My reasoning was that a place called "Waterfall Ruins" probably had an excess of water, which Model F was not designed to handle. Also, I figured a lab would be more likely to house whatever portal the bad guys had built to take over my world. My only hope was that they needed a lengthy cool-down period between jumps.

_Meanwhile..._

"Three _days?_ That's how long it'll take to open this Gate again? What sloppy planning."

"They will never...find this place...before then..."

"I sure hope not, but the smart money is generally on Murphy's Law. In fact, I'll bet you 50 EC that this Gate is destroyed before we make another jump."

"I will...raise your bet...to 100 EC...but we should...get back...to work..."

"Right. We've got a computer to smash. What do you say we wait until Grey is almost there, then smash it?"

"That...would be nice..."

The duo teleported simultaneously, to prepare for Grey's arrival. Meanwhile, at the entrance to the lab they had vacated...

"Whose big idea was it to take the batteries out, then move them only fifteen meters away? I mean, this is just pitiful," I said as I shoved a huge battery into the door controls' generator. "Hey, what do we have here?"

The room I had opened looked completely different from the rest of the Lab. Where the rest of the lab was brownish yellow and covered in leaky pipes, this room was dark blue with lines around the floor. Plus, there were two working capsules off to one side, each with a computer panel next to it.

**Hey, this panel has a file open! "DAN-001 'Prometheus', time remaining until shut-down for maintenance: 246924 seconds." Prometheus was made here?**

"Looks like it. This one says, 'DAN-002 'Pandora', time remaining until shut-down for maintenance: 246939 seconds.' 'DAN' probably stands for 'Doctor Albert Number', but why would he put his own creations on a timer for a few days?"

"*Beep*. There's no doubt about it. These capsules are the chains that bind them. They're made so they'll die unless they go back to these pods at regular intervals."

"Thomas? But that's just... Albert needs to die. Jail time is way too good for someone who would do that to...to his _kids!_ How can he think that this is _progress_?"

"He's likely under the direct control of Model W. After all, all Biometals have souls, and Model W's is powerful...and evil. Anyway, there may be more data further in. Try looking further. *Beep*."

There wasn't much left to the lab, apparently. Another ruined, pipe-filled room was all that separated me from a hefty boss door. Inside, a tiny yellow Mechaniloid was rolling in a wheel, sending electricity into the floor and over to a huge arch in the back of the room. Once I entered, though, it sprang up in the shape of a rodent. A hedgehog, maybe?

"Hey, hey! Nobody goes beyond this point! I'm just following Mr. Albert's orders to charge the Gate!"

"You're...a Pseudoroid? This is pathetic! You're like, half my height!"

"Hey, hey! You're mocking me, Hedgeshock? You'll face the penalty, a shocking penalty! Here I come!" Hedgeshock rolled into a spiky ball and charged...only to be punched across the room by my Knuckle Busters. On the way over, I peppered her with five extra plasma bolts.

"Is that really the extent of the Pseudoroids' power? I was led to believe they were on the same level as a newbie like me, but I guess I was wrong..."

"I'll get you! I'll get you! You'll pay for that! Grrr!" She came at me with exactly the same rolling attack. I gave her a nasty right hook, and she flew into the Gate's left base. Crunch!

"Are you sure you want to fight where you might end up destroying the gate? I mean, I'm cool with that, but it's really ironic that you'll be the one who blows it up."

"No I won't! No I won't! I'll shock you dead!" Hedgeshock finally tried something new: a huge spread of electric charges in all directions. I barely slipped through the gaps, and dashed in to heave the Pseudoroid into the Gate. As luck would have it, I punched her straight into one of the spots she'd already weakened with her own attack, and the gate crumbled on top of the Pseudoroid, before her explosion destroyed the surrounding machinery. Model F collected the DNA Data.

**I can't make a bomb that isn't a fire element, but with this, I can power up our guns! This will give you rapid-fire bursts, but don't overheat the guns, or you won't be able to fire until they cool off.**

"Awesome! And we blew up the Gate! My world should be safe for now, but I'm sure Albert will just build a new one if we leave him to his own evil devices. Let's see what else Hedgeshock was guarding..."

The very next room looked a lot like the room with Prometheus and Pandora's capsules, only there was only one capsule and one screen. "'DAN-000 'Prototype', process complete.' Huh? There was a Mega Man before Prometheus and Pandora?"

**Hey, there's a disk in the drive! Here you go, but I think it's only part of what should be on here.**

Model F handed me a disk that looked like a conventional floppy disk from my world back in 19XX, but I bet it could store way more data. Certainly more than half a file, but it had to be important if Albert left even a wimpy Pseudoroid like Hedgeshock to guard it.

"*Beep*. What? All you found were empty capsules and incomplete data?"

"That's about the size of it, Master Thomas. There's at least one Mega Man Albert made before Prometheus. He didn't want anyone to know about it, or he would have mentioned it in Model A's ciphers. Goodness knows everything else was in there."

"Oh, Grey didn't tell us about any other ciphers. What did you find out?"

"Oh, Master Mikhail! Well, Model A seems to know more than the rest of us, but I do know that all the Model W's are supposed to merge together into something called the 'Ouroboros'. Albert made it sound like this thing is unbeatable, and I can attest that the Model W we destroyed was really darn hard to kill. How could anyone merge with a Biometal that big, though?"

"Well, send us the data. We'll see what it contains, and maybe we can stop Ouroboros from ever forming. Return to Hunter's Camp to wait for Grey. Thomas and Mikhail, out. *Beep*."

The next door had a Transerver behind it, but it was busted from lack of maintenance. Luckily, I still had my portable one.

_Meanwhile..._

"Okay, I win the bet. Cough up, Sis."

"Oh well...here you go..."

_A/N: Thank you all impatient readers! I received many reviews saying to update faster this time, so here I am! Anyway, I omitted several parts of the Mysterious Lab, like the part where you have to use Hedgeshock, because that part is pretty much only there so players can test out Hedgeshock. Since Alice can't do that, I left out the whole room. Until the next undetermined update!_


	13. An Odor

**Flamma Wies**

**Chapter 13: An Odor**

**Or: Is It Okay to Microwave Industrial Sewage?**

_I'm sorry, I almost stopped updating again. Thanks to those of you who posted your first review last chapter! I'm always happy to have a new person tell me I'm doing a good job. Hopefully I haven't lost any of you over the long waits..._

Grey wasn't there when I got back. While I was waiting, I tried striking up a conversation with random Hunters. The problem was that they kept running away. "Fearless warriors my armored boot... Am I that scary?"

**Maybe you should de-merge.**

I took Model F's advice, then approached a random Hunter. "Why do you people keep running away? Does my armor make me look fat or something?"

"Oh. So you are human." The Hunter looked visibly relieved.

"Obviously. Seriously, is that the rumor going around? Mega Men are just humans or Reploids that have a Biometal partner. Mine's Model F. My name's Alice. What's yours?"

"I'm Billy. I'm the one who found Grey passed out near the camp. I probably should have known better than to put any stock in Sarah's rumors."

"Cool. You may have indirectly saved the world. Sorry if I forget what you look like; all the armored Hunters look alike. Maybe they should give you little badges for holding your Hunter's IDs. Which reminds me. I need to get myself one of those... bye!"

"Bye! ...Saved the world, huh? That's like bragging rights for life!" I barely caught the last part as I entered Room 04.

Accessing the Transerver caused it to spit a new ID out of a little slot. Quick and easy. I shut down the machine and stepped off, and Grey materialized on the platform. "Oh! You're done already? Did you find that machine you were looking for?"

"Yep! Busted it and the Pseudoroid guarding it. Model F, could you give A the data?" F tossed the green sparkle to A, and I asked Grey, "So, did you find a data disk over at the Ruins?"

"Yeah...Prometheus and Pandora smashed the computer with all the data on me, though. They said I couldn't just 'retire' from the Game of Destiny, and something about revenge on Albert."

"That squares with what I found..." I told Grey about the capsules I found in the Lab, and we both agreed that Albert needed comeuppance. If that meant helping Prometheus and Pandora kill him, so be it. We'd beat them, too, if it came to that.

"*Beep.* Come in, Mega Men. We've finished decoding that file. It initializes a certain Transerver in the 'Bio Lab'. Go there through the sewers, and use this Initialization Key to get to Albert's hideout. Be prepared for heavy opposition. Good luck. *Beep.*"

I gulped. "The sewers? Why would they put a Bio Lab in the sewers? This is going to stink..."

"Yeah, literally," Grey agreed, "But we don't have much choice. It's a straight ticket to Albert's hideout."

"Good point. Let's go."

The sewer was pretty easy to find. It was behind a brittle barrier designed to keep out civilian kids, not Mega Men. One punch, and the wall fell in. The sewer opened for Grey's Green Key, and we were immediately assaulted by the most horrible stench I'd ever smelled. It was like cigarettes mixed with cow dung mixed with ammonia. Ugh! Still, the world was on the line, so what was a little or a lot of bad smell? We pressed on.

The sewers were lightly defended, with just a few Rattraps falling off the ceiling to try to stop us. At the far end of the brown, slimy tunnel was a door, and behind that was a completely different area with three times as intense of a stink. I activated Model F's face mask to block the horrid smell, and Grey did the same. "Industrial sewage, huh? The place looks new. And that blue gunk looks sticky. I wonder if it burns fast?" I thought aloud.

"Might as well try. We can always teleport past it if it burns too long."

I shot a fireball (Model F's other function besides bombs) at the gunk, and it immediately exploded, throwing burning chunks everywhere. Grey A-Transed into Chronoforce and let the chunks bounce off of the Pseudoroid's hard shell, while I batted the few that came my way out of my face with my Knuckle Busters. "Okay," I said when the mess was over, "Mental note: it is not okay to microwave industrial sewage."

**Awesome! Now that's what I call an explosion! **Model F bounced up and down in my head.

"Sure, but how many enemies did we alert?" Grey looked left and right, but no Mechaniloids were forthcoming. "Weird. I guess we'll have an easy time getting through here, though!"

"I have a bad feeling about this..." I figured this was just to get us to let our guard down, but Mechaniloids weren't smart enough to lay traps. We moved forward, with Grey using Queenbee's lifting power to yank up gates and valves, which opened the way forward.

After a while of blasting blue-gunk pits, we came to a much colder room about a third as big as the complex we'd left, but it seemed bigger without all the pipes. Ice coated the walls, and all along the back wall were humongous Mechaniloids-Dogu the Giant-model war drones. Model F was all, **Whoa, check out the hydraulics on these guys! Are they off?** Everyone jumped when the answer came from across the room.

"Are you surprised? These soldiers were all born here!" A humongous crocodile-shaped Pseudoroid that we had somehow missed seeing turned around to face us, causing a tremor with his footsteps. He spoke in a slow-paced, rumbling voice, as though he had all the time in the world. "They're to be used one day by the Mega Man King! When the new world is born, these soldiers will awaken, and exterminate the old world inhabitants!"

Model A gasped. **Albert thought of all of this?**

"Hmm," I pondered. "Seems like a wasted step. Model W could make way more Mavericks than this factory could ever pump out. Maybe you've been forgotten, umm... Who are you?"

"My name is Bifrost, the Crocoroid! I am the guardian of the sleeping soldiers. And now, for your insult, I will crush every last one of your bones with my jaws!" To punctuate his threat, Bifrost opened his mouth until his jaws were completely vertical, then gnashed down with a sound like breaking glass. His fangs were Biometal-reinforced ice, and those jaws were no joke. He could fit both of us in there with room for more! I fired my Busters, but the Crocoroid just opened those jaws again, and my shots just dissipated on the reinforced interior. Then, his fangs shot out of his mouth like arrows as he advanced to chomp us. Ducking and weaving, we split up, forcing him to round on only Grey. Then I learned that his backside was not defenseless. His tail lashed out, smacking me across the room and into a deactivated Dogu. Ouch!

Grey leaped aside as Bifrost's jaws clamped on empty air. The giant Pseudoroid tensed, and only by instinctively firing my boosters did I escape being crushed by his feet as he jumped backwards. I bombed his flank, causing him to spin to face me. Grey, meanwhile, had A-Transed to Buckfire, standing at a ninety-degree angle between me and Bifrost. Burning arrows hit his other flank as the behemoth began to realize that he couldn't fight two opponents in this arrangement. He didn't get a chance to change anything. Every time he would face me, his right side would be punctured by Burning arrows, and every time he faced Grey, his left flank would be crushed by bombs. Gradually, we pounded him down to a nonresponsive heap of scorched metal, which exploded in short order. Grey picked up the Pseudoroid DNA, which would be helpful if we needed a lot of extra muscle.

It turned out we did need it in the next room. The yellow wall set up between us and the Transerver we had come to find didn't even dent from my punch, but Bifrost's jaws did the trick quite nicely. The triple-reinforced barrier went down in one chomp. The Transerver yielded to Greys Initialization Key, and we teleported to its only destination: the Undersea Volcano. Albert was just ahead...

_A/N: I'm sorry! I was waiting for other authors to update, and I forgot to update my own fic! Next chapter: _A Decoy, or: "Would the Real Dr. Albert Please Step Forward?"!


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